Sculptural Headdress

In class, we read Cinderella and The Rough-Face Girl.  Cinderella was the traditional Disney story with Cinderella, the god-mother, the prince, the evil step-mother, and evil step-sisters.  The Rough-Face Girl was similar to the story line of Cinderella with some exceptions.  This book was a Native American version of the story with the introduction of the invisible man instead of a prince and other minor differences.
When we were asked to make headdresses that were related to the stories we just read, I immediately wanted to do something along the line of the The Rough-Face Girl story.  My first thought was to create something that involved nature and wildlife.  Native Americans are strongly connected with Mother earth and animals, so I believed that flowers would be a good representation of this.  I also decided to use bright colors to represent how the "Rough-Face" girl transformed into a beautiful girl.  I decided to add grass to the background of the flowers as well.  I finished the headdress with the addition of braids and feathers, which made it look like it had more of a connection with the book.
I strongly believe that this is a positive teaching lesson to use in a second grade classroom.  This lesson allows children to think critically and reflect on details that were discussed in class about the fairy tale.  I would read my students a couple of fairy tales, which apply to both genders and different cultures.  After the reading of the books, I would open up the class to a discussion on the differences and similarities among the stories.  After the discussion, I will ask the students to make a headdress or hat about their favorite fairy tale that we read.  I would ask the students to include major themes from the fairy tale to help distinguish what book they did their headdresses on.  I would then allow each student to share their headdress in front of the class.

California Content Standards:
Key Ideas and Details- #1 and 2
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas- #7 and 9

VTS (Visual Thinking Strategies)

When showing a work of art to students, it is important as a teacher to facilitate VTS.  Visual Thinking Strategies are implemented in the classroom when the teacher challenges the children to look at a piece of art critically.  When a student makes a comment about the artwork, the teacher may ask the student why he or she sees that.  This allows the student to think more elaborately and critically.  VTS is important in the classroom because it leads to deeper thinking in the students.  Children are permitted to give their opinions and observations about the art piece, but are required to give evidence to why they believe it to be so.  By the teacher using VTS, he or she is creating continuous conversation, allowing the students to bounce ideas off one another.  Visual Thinking Strategies creates deep learning, which can seep into other core curriculums.

Nighthawks (1942) by Edward Hopper
My friends discussion about this piece of art using VTS:

• Kirsten Allan (Age 20): She believes that the painting takes place in the 1930s, during the Great Depression.  The bartender in the painting looks old.  He kind of resembles an old scientist with the white coat.  It doesn't look like he belongs because he is blending into the white background.  It looks like it takes place during the Great Depression because everything outside is dark and empty, and the restaurant/bar is the only thing that has any light to it.  The guy by himself seems to have had a bad day or trouble with the stocks, since he is sitting alone at the bar.  The date couple look like their dates had problems, which led them to end up at the bar together.  She believes that this takes place in Philadelphia because of the name on the outside of the bar/restaurant.
• Lexi Deol (Age 20): She believes that the painting takes place during the Great Depression because there is not a lot of people around and the stores across the street are empty.  There is also no one in the streets.  The guy at the bar with his back turned looks morose, alone, and sad because of the shadows that are casted on him.  She believes that this takes place in a city, probably New York City or Chicago because in the 1930s it was either rural or urban, no really in between.  

Art Inside the Classroom

During my years in elementary school, art has held a major role in the classroom.  Unlike many schools that I have read and heard about, my elementary school classes strived to make art a core curriculum in the classroom.  Many of our classroom projects were centered around art projects.  When reading a book in History or English, we were required to draw pictures of what we imagined when reading these stories.  One major project that I had that included as much art as writing was my poetry project in third grade.  We had to create an art piece for every poem that we created.  Each art piece had to be unique and involve different type of drawing utensils.  This project was elaborate and expanded my knowledge of poetry and art simultaneously.
Besides art in the day to day classroom, we also had "Meet the Masters."  "Meet the Masters" was when an artist would visit the classroom and teach the students about a particular artist.  After learning about the artist's life and drawing style, the students would draw in the same matter that the painter would have.  This event allowed me to learn more about artists and the different drawing and painting styles that each one contributed to our world.
When listening to Morgan Appel's lecture, I realized how much art can have a role in the classroom.  Art brings  improvement in creativity, critical thinking and reading into the classroom.  When children are thinking creatively, they are going to have an easier time of recalling the information.  This moves past rote memorization, which is practiced in most classrooms.  Rote memorization does not allow information to move from short-term memory into long-term memory.  By also using art in the classroom, it allows for deep thinking with teacher participation as well.  By applying Morgan Appel's suggestions for art in the classroom, I know my future students will flourish.

Focus Activity

Chapter 2:

A         There are areas of (and content students need to know within) curriculum       A
            that could benefit from arts-activity infusion.


A         I am able to imagine what arts activities I would use in arts-infused lessons      A
              across the curriculum.


A         Pre-planning and linking arts activities to big ideas and content standards         D
              will take a great deal of effort and time.


D         I am concerned that I am not artistically talented and it will adversely affect      D
                my planning for arts-infused lessons.


Chapter 3:

A          I need to know what students already know about a topic before planning           A
                    my instruction.


D          I know of multiple ways to easily find out what students already know about       A
                    a topic before instruction begins.


A          Knowledge is "understanding."                                                                         A

A          I can imagine ways in which arts activities could help fill the gap between            A
              what students already know and what they need to know about a chosen 
               topic.

Analyzing Peers' Drawings

(Girl, age 20):
She learned how to draw when she was in kindergarden.  She stopped drawing when she was in eighth grade.  She decided to draw a person dancing.  She decided to draw in a more simplistic approach.  She used a "stick figure" design to show the person dancing.

(Girl, age 20):
She learned to draw from her mother when she was younger.  She stopped drawing when she was in seventh grade.  She drew a person dancing as well.  She used a "stick figure" design for her drawing, but elaborated it with clothing and shoes.  She also drew a background as a stage for her person.

(Girl, age 20):
She began drawing in sixth grade in an art class in middle school.  She has never stopped drawing.  She doodles randomly.  She drew her person running.  Her drawing is more realistic drawing of a person compared to the two previous drawings.

Multicultural Art and Women's Art

Multicultural Art:
http://www.multiculturalart.com/

National Museum of Women in the Arts:
http://www.nmwa.org/

Women's Art:
http://www.ibiblio.org/cheryb/women/resource/wmart.html

Women Artists in History:
http://www.wendy.com/women/artists.html

Multicultural Arts Center:
http://www.cmacusa.org/

Sojourner Truth Multicultural Art Museum:
http://www.sojoarts.net/